Microsoft QLF-00195 - Manual

Designing Windows 7 More than a billion people use Microsoft ® Windows ever y day. You use it in significant ways, like earning a living. You use it in personally meaningful ways, such as using a webcam to visit with a faraway loved one. And you experience it in small ways, like playing your favorit...

8 9 Designing Windows 7 Market Trends that Inspired Windows 7 As we planned Windows 7, we took a hard look at how the world of technology is changing and what that means for you. In doing so, we identified some key themes that influenced our engineering design efforts and helped us to focus on where...

Windows 7 Editions Different people expect different things from their PCs, which is why we offer multiple editions of Windows 7. And because your needs can change over time, we have designed Windows 7 so that you can move up to editions with more features, without giving up the features you already...

10 11 Windows 7 Editions Windows 7 Starter Windows 7 Starter makes small notebook PCs and other PCs with limited hardware easier to use because it puts less between you and what you want to do—less waiting, less clicking, and less hassle connecting to networks. Windows 7 Starter is designed to meet ...

Windows 7 Home Premium The best edition for consumers, Windows 7 Home Premium provides the best entertainment experience on your PC. You’ll find easy ways to connect to other PCs and devices, all in a visually rich environment that makes everyday use simpler and more engaging. With Home Premium you ...

12 13 Windows 7 Enterprise / Windows 7 Ultimate Windows 7 Enterprise and Windows 7 Ultimate are the most versatile and powerful editions and are designed to address the needs of both enterprise customers and consumers who want every feature of Windows 7. While the features in these editions are the ...

14 15 Key Features Starter Home Premium Professional Enterprise/Ultimate Windows Taskbar and Jump Lists 3 3 3 3 Internet Explorer 8 3 3 3 3 Join a homegroup 3 3 3 3 Home media streaming, including Play To ^ 3 3 3 3 Aero Glass and improved desktop navigation 3 3 3 Windows Media Center^ and Internet T...

Getting Started with Windows 7 Whether you’re buying a new PC or upgrading your current PC to Windows 7, you probably want to get through the setup process as quickly as possible. Windows 7 is designed to get you up and running fast. Windows 7 includes a new Getting Started experience that points yo...

16 17 Getting Started with Windows 7 Migrating from Windows XP Windows 7 is best experienced on a new PC with the latest hardware, but if your computer meets the minimum specifications, you can install Windows 7 on a PC running Windows XP. Windows 7 must be “custom” installed (also known as a “clean...

18 19 Getting Started with Windows 7 Windows Easy Transfer Windows Easy Transfer helps you move files, folders, program settings, and system settings from your old PC to your new one. With the newest version of Windows Easy Transfer, you can leave the transfer unattended. If Windows encounters a fil...

What’s New in Windows 7 Top Features for You We’ve designed Windows 7 to be the easiest, fastest, and most engaging version of Windows yet. We focused on helping your PC perform the way you want it to—quickly, easily, and with less effort. Although many of the new improvements are under the covers, ...

Top Features for IT Professionals From networking to security and search to user management, Windows 7 offers IT professionals a wide range of new and improved features. These include the following: Key Feature What You Can Do AppLocker Control which applications are allowed to run on user PCs. Bran...

22 23 Application and Device Compatibility We recognize that your PC experience involves programs and devices from many different providers, so we’ve made a significant effort to ensure that the applications and devices you use and love are compat - ible with Windows 7 and work the way you’d expect ...

25 25 Windows 7 for You Windows 7 is more than just engineering and innovation—it’s the product that you asked for. You’ve told us you want everything you do on your PC to be faster and easier. You’ve said that you’d like it if the technology and devices in your home worked better together. And beca...

Windows 7 for You: Simplifies Everyday Tasks In Windows 7, we set out to streamline and simplify the things you do ever y day—and you’ll find you can get more done with a lot less effort. The user interface is nimbler and more responsive, with navigation that gets you where you want to go—fast. Conn...

28 29 Windows 7 for You: Simplifies Everyday Tasks Simple to Navigate Windows Taskbar The taskbar is one of the most familiar aspects of Windows. When you open files and programs, their icons show up on the taskbar so you can switch between them. Previous versions of Windows, however, automatically ...

When you have a large number of windows open for a program, the open windows for that program are displayed as a list. We’ve enhanced this list view by adding the ability to peek at a highlighted window or even close a window directly from the list. Programs use the new taskbar to provide more infor...

30 31 Windows 7 for You: Simplifies Everyday Tasks Simple to Navigate Jump Lists provide quick access to common tasks. Jump Lists Do you keep a lot of documents on the Windows desktop or in your Documents folder? If so, you know how hard it can be to find that one file you need. Jump Lists can help....

Desktop Enhancements One of the many benefits of Windows is the ability to work with large numbers of documents and programs at the same time. But have you ever had to wade through a dozen open windows to get to the right document? Or had to minimize a number of windows to view a gadget on your desk...

32 33 Snap allows for easy resizing of windows. Want to get all but one window out of the way? Try Aero Shake. Grab the top of that window and shake it, and all the other windows on your screen will minimize to the taskbar. Shake the window again to restore the windows to their original sizes. You c...

Windows Explorer As you use your PC more and more, you may find the number of files you have to manage getting larger. Windows Explorer in Windows 7 give you a central place to view and organize all the files on your PC. The new layout of Windows Explorer reduces clutter and makes better use of spac...

34 35 Libraries If you store a large number of files in different file folders or on several PCs or devices, you might find it hard to find the exact file you’re looking for or manage all your files efficiently. Libraries can help. At their most fundamental level, Libraries are a way to view files w...

You can even arrange and view the files in your Libraries by some of its metadata. For example the “Month” and “Day” views in the Pictures Library group together the photos taken on the same date. And the Videos Library features a way to arrange the files by length so you can separate the shorter cl...

Easy to Browse the Web As people spend more time online, their demands on the browser have increased. Since Microsoft delivered Internet Explorer 7, millions of people around the world have taken advantage of its tabbed browsing, the built-in search box, and other features to improve their Web brows...

38 39 Web Slices E-mail, weather, sports scores, stock quotes, or auction item status—there are Web sites we visit multiple times during the day to get updates. Web Slices in Internet Explorer 8 make it simple to access this information without having to navigate to the Web site again and again. Web...

Smart Address Bar If you use Internet Explorer 7, you know that the Address Bar presents matching Web addresses from your history as you type. However, you have to type the same beginning of the Web address to display the same results—and there’s no way to delete an entry if you’ve mistyped it. In I...

40 41 Easy to Connect PCs and Manage Devices More than half of all U.S. households have more than one PC. If you live in one of those households, you may have experienced trouble setting up a network or found that the PCs in your home don’t work together as well as they could. Even when your PCs are...

Devices and Printers provides a consolidated view of all your devices. The Add a Device wizard helps you easily add networked and wireless devices. The Devices and Printers Folder The Devices and Printers folder is a single location where you can access and interact with all your devices. When Windo...

44 45 Device Stage Do you have a lot of digital devices like phones, music players, or digital cameras? Device Stage helps you manage all of your devices more efficiently by showing you the status of each and displaying the common things you can do with them in a single familiar window. When you con...

Improved Support for External Displays If you have a laptop, you may want to connect it to an external display to watch a movie at home or give a presentation at work. Windows 7 makes it easier to connect to external displays because all of the common display-related features are gathered in one pla...

46 47 Windows Live Mail Easy to Communicate and Share With Windows 7 and Windows Live Essentials, your PC will help you stay connected to the people and things you care about and do it safely. Windows Live Essentials is a free suite of programs for e-mail, photos, instant messaging, and more. It can...

Windows Live Messenger Windows Live Messenger makes it effortless to connect to your favorite people or groups, chat via IM, video or voice, play games, share photos and monitor what’s new with your circle of friends. The latest release of Messenger doesn’t just feature a brand new look and feel—it’...

48 49 Windows Live Photo Gallery After you import photos to your PC running Windows 7, use Windows Live Photo Gallery to edit, organize, and publish them to the Web. You can even tag photos in Photo Gallery so that you can easily find them later. Windows Live Photo Gallery not only incorporates a re...

Windows 7 for You: Works the Way You Want More than anything else, you’ve told us that you care about the basics. No one has the time to deal with PCs that aren’t snappy and responsive or fall short of expected performance—like taking too long to wake up from sleep. And we’d all like to feel more se...

50 51 Start, Shutdown, and Resume Windows 7 is ready when you are. It’s designed to start, hibernate, and shut down faster than Windows Vista. We also focused on ways to resume from sleep more quickly and reliably. And because resuming from sleep is much faster than rebooting your PC, you can use sl...

Windows Experience Index The Windows Experience Index measures the capabilities of your PC’s hardware and software, and expresses this measurement as a number called a base score. A higher base score generally means that your computer will perform better and faster than a computer with a lower base ...

52 53 Windows 7 for You: Works the Way You Want Speed, Reliability, and Responsiveness Power-Saving DVD Playback With Windows 7, your PC will use less power when playing a DVD. Windows 7 requires less processing power than previous versions of Windows and is more efficient when it spins discs. Wake ...

54 55 More Secure Whether your hard disk drive contains irreplaceable family photos or the financial data critical to your business, the information on your PC is valuable. Viruses, spyware and other unwanted software, root kits, and phishing scams pose a constant risk today. In Windows Vista, we cr...

Parental Controls If you’re a parent, Windows 7 Parental Controls can give you greater peace of mind and confidence in your ability to manage what your kids can do on the PC. You can specify which PC games your children can play and which programs they can use. You can even specify the times when yo...

56 57 Internet Explorer Security The Web can be a dangerous place, with sites that attempt to download malicious code, trick you into divulging personal information, or track your actions without your knowledge or consent. Internet Explorer 8 improves your defense against security and privacy threat...

Cross-Site Scripting Filter You could do everything right with respect to security—such as always installing the latest security updates—yet still remain vulnerable to some types of security threats. For example, cross-site scripting attacks are a leading threat against Web sites and can be used to ...

58 59 InPrivate Filtering You probably know that the Web sites you visit can track your activity, but you may not be fully aware of the degree to which additional Web sites and content providers can track you as well. Most Web sites today are mosaics of content that come from many different sites. A...

60 61 Backup and restore Backup and Restore Even the most reliable PC can be subject to a hardware failure, and even the most careful person can delete a file by mistake. When these things happen, it’s important to have a recent backup of impor - tant data—yet many people forget to back up their PCs...

Compatible With You A cluttered Windows desktop is like a cluttered desk—it can make it harder to focus on the task at hand. When you start using Windows 7, you’ll immediately notice its clean and uncluttered appearance. For example, the Notification Area in the lower-right corner displays only four...

62 63 Desktop samples Place gadgets where you want them. Ever wanted to turn your desktop background into a photo slideshow? Then you’ll love Aero Background, the new feature in Windows 7 that lets you choose photos from your PC and display them as your desk- top background. Windows 7 for You: Works...

Windows XP Mode Do you want all the benefits of the latest PCs but still need to run older business and productivity programs? Windows 7 will run many Windows XP programs with no problem. But for those programs that require a PC running Windows XP, small and medium-sized business customers can use W...

64 65 Loading an application from a USB device in Windows XP Mode. Access Your Windows 7-based PC’s Network Connections You can still access the Internet when you’re working in Windows XP Mode because the network connec- tions of your Windows 7-based PC are always accessible. In addition, you can al...

Better Troubleshooting and Problem Solving We created Windows 7 to help give you a trouble-free computing experience. But if problems do arise, Windows 7 notifies you in more intelligent ways and makes resolution easier and faster. When something in Windows 7 needs your attention, you’ll have one pl...

66 67 Windows Troubleshooting Windows Troubleshooting Wouldn’t it be nice if your PC could recognize and solve many common problems, so that you could stay productive rather than calling for help? Windows Troubleshooting—new in Windows 7—diagnoses and resolves common operating system and hardware is...

Built-in Troubleshooters in Windows 7 Troubleshooter Description Aero Troubleshoot problems that prevent you from experiencing Aero animations and effects. Browse the Web Troubleshoot problems that prevent you from browsing the Web with Internet Explorer. Connection to a Shared Folder Access shared ...

68 69 Startup Repair Startup problems can be difficult to troubleshoot, because if you can’t start the operating system you can’t use the built-in troubleshooting tools. In the past, you or your support professionals may have found it easier to reinstall your operating system than troubleshoot, even...

Windows 7 for You: Makes New Things Possible As new technologies emerge, we’re busy translating them into exciting new experiences that are sophisticated, yet fun and easy to use. We’re providing new ways for you to view TV, listen to and share music, and bring your PC to life with multi-touch techn...

70 71 Windows 7 for You: Makes New Things Possible Media the Way You Want It Windows Media Center With a streamlined user interface and support for new content types and digital TV, Windows Media Center in Windows 7 makes viewing TV, movies, and other media content on your PC easier than ever. The n...

72 73 Windows Media Player Windows Media Player in Windows 7 plays more media and delivers a richer media experience than earlier versions. Whether you want to listen to your favorite songs while you’re working or watch a DVD in full-screen mode, playback starts quickly and remains consistent. Windo...

74 75 Media Streaming As you acquire more PCs and devices, you’ll have more physical places to store your music, photos, and video. But what if all your music is on a laptop, yet you want to play it on your main PC with the great speakers? Now, with Media Streaming, you can. When you join a homegrou...

76 77 Remote Media Streaming If you’re like most people, your home PC is the central place where you store and enjoy your photo, music, and video collections. But you probably also often take your laptop to other locations such as hotels, airports, or coffee shops. Windows 7 offers Remote Media Stre...

80 81 Work Anywhere We live in a mobile world, taking our laptops and devices with us as we move between home, work, and other places. With Windows 7, you can easily get online and stay online as you move from place to place. Whether you’re switching from one network to another, attempting to access...

82 83 XPS Documents XML Paper Specification (XPS) documents are fixed-format documents that you can share and archive in a high-quality, efficient format. XPS documents can be opened without having the original program in which the document was created, so you can easily share your work. You can pre...

New Ways to Engage As new technologies emerge, Microsoft is working to translate them into exciting new experiences. Windows 7 builds on the work we’ve done in next-generation user interfaces, moving beyond the mouse and keyboard so that you can interact with your PC with multitouch gestures, handwr...

Tablet PC Enhancements Windows 7 improves the Tablet PC with greater accuracy and speed for handwriting recognition, support for handwritten math expressions, personalized custom dictionaries for handwriting recognition, and more. Improved Handwriting Recognition The Tablet PC writing surface has be...

86 87 Accessibility Windows 7 enhances the accessibility options that are so important to people with special needs. From more personalized speech recognition to a new on-screen layout, Windows 7 is more accessible to everyone. Speech In Windows 7, we’ve improved the accuracy of Windows Speech Recog...

89 89 Windows 7 for IT Pros As people become increasingly computer-savvy, they expect more from the technology they use at work. They expect to be able to work from home, from branch offices, and on the road, all without a decrease in productivity. As their needs have grown, so have the demands plac...

With Windows 7, you can respond to the need to make your workers productive on a range of applications, locations, and devices. They can access information more easily whether they’re on the road or in branch offices, and they can search in more places, including remote data sources and locations wi...

92 93 Search and Federated Search In Windows 7, search is better integrated with enterprise infrastructures to help people more easily find the information they need. They can search in more places more easily—including remote data sources and within encrypted files—and IT professionals can publish ...

Enterprise Search Scopes Making it easy to discover and search intranet sites can help organizations maximize their return on these investments. With Windows 7, you can deploy up to five pre-defined links or search scopes through Group Policy on worker PCs to direct them to the right data sources an...

94 95 Access Information from Anywhere Whether traveling for business, taking work home at night, or simply bringing a portable computer to a meeting in the conference room down the hall, mobility is essential to a worker ’s computing experience. As a result, more organizations are helping their peo...

96 97 Folder Redirection and Offline Files Using Folder Redirection and Offline Files is a convenient way for people not connected to the corporate network to access files stored on a central server. Windows 7 reduces initial wait times and improves branch office and remote access scenarios by opera...

BranchCache For branch offices, network bandwidth limitations and latency in application response times can nega - tively affect productivity. We introduced Background Intelligent Transfer Service in Windows XP and the Distributed File System Replication service in Windows Server 2008 to help resolv...

98 99 BranchCache supports the same network protocols that are commonly used in enterprises—HTTP(S) and SMB—so that any applications based on these network protocols will automatically benefit from the technology. Examples of these applications include Microsoft Office SharePoint 2007, Internet Expl...

As we become more connected and our IT infrastructures become more complex, the risks to systems and data continue to increase. Windows 7 builds on the security we developed in Windows Vista, retaining the multiple layers of defense that made Windows Vista the most secure version of the Windows clie...

Protect Workers and Infrastructure People who run unauthorized software often experience a higher incidence of malware infections and generate more help desk calls. We understand how difficult it can be for IT departments to make sure that user PCs are running only approved, licensed software. With ...

102 103 Builds on Windows Vista Security Foundation Windows 7 builds on the proven security lineage of Windows Vista, retaining the multiple layers of defense that have made it the most secure version of the Windows client to date. Windows 7 is supported by Windows Update, Automatic Updates, Microso...

Improved Smart Card Support Although password-based authentication has well-understood security limitations, deploying strong authentication technologies remains a challenge for many organizations. Building on the smart card infrastructure advances made in Windows Vista, Windows 7 eases smart card d...

The PC life cycle has a direct impact on costs, ser vice levels, user productivity, and the ability to deliver business value. Organizations are constantly struggling to streamline all stages of the PC life cycle, including operating system and application deployment, ongoing management, and trouble...

106 107 Deployment Image Servicing and Management The Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tool in Windows 7 provides a central place for you to build and service Windows images offline. DISM is a scriptable command-line tool that combines the functionality of several offline image manag...

User State Migration Tool The User State Migration Tool (USMT) is a command-line tool you can use to migrate user profiles, files, and system and application settings from one operating system installation to another. For Windows 7, USMT adds a Hardlink Migration feature that migrates files from one...

108 109 Flexible Deployment of Internet Explorer 8 With Internet Explorer 8, organizations will get the flexibility they need to deploy Internet Explorer 8 in ways that make sense for their particular needs. For instance, you can deploy it on its own by using the publicly available download or creat...

Keep PCs Running Smoothly One of the best ways to minimize desktop support costs is to maintain a stable, secure desktop configuration, but this can be a challenge. Windows 7 builds on enhancements in Windows Vista to help IT organizations more effectively manage desktop and mobile PCs. Features suc...

110 111 • PowerShell Remoting. Windows PowerShell uses the standard management protocol WS Management (WS-MAN) to invoke cmdlets on client PCs. It supports two types of remoting: fan-out remoting, which provides one-to-many remoting capabilities so you can run manage-ment scripts across multiple PCs...

112 113 Troubleshooting and Support Windows 7 provides richer built-in troubleshooting capabilities so consumers can resolve more technical issues on their own. If a call to the help desk is unavoidable, Windows 7 gives you the tools you need to resolve the issue quickly. Problem Steps Recorder The ...

Windows Troubleshooting Platform Windows 7 delivers a comprehensive, extensible troubleshooting platform that uses a mechanism based on Windows PowerShell to troubleshoot problems. Key components of the Windows Troubleshooting Platform are as follows: • Windows Troubleshooting Packs. Windows trouble...

114 115 Better Support for Client Virtualization With VDI, you can run user desktops running in virtual machines on centralized servers. VDI provides an alternative to traditional desktop environments for nonmobile workers, with benefits that include flexibility (including user access from multiple ...

In addition to providing new enterprise benefits in each release of Windows, Microsoft regularly delivers new enterprise technologies through the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) for Software Assurance. With this optional subscription, IT professionals can take advantage of MDOP technologi...

116 117 Microsoft Application Virtualization Application virtualization turns programs based on Windows into centrally managed virtual services that can be delivered to any physical or virtual desktop or portable computer worldwide. With application virtualization, you can deploy new applications in...

Microsoft Asset Inventory Service To remain compliant and optimize IT budgets, organizations must effectively manage their software- asset inventory, and the first step toward upgrading to a new version of Windows is to get an accurate inventory of all their applications. The Microsoft Asset Invento...

118 119 Microsoft Advanced Group Policy Management With Microsoft Advanced Group Policy Management (AGPM), IT professionals can take control of user PCs through effective change management, versioning, and rollbacks—all based on Group Policy Objects (GPOs) and a robust, role-based administration and...

Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset The Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset aids IT professionals in quickly diagnosing critical infrastructure problems so you can reduce support costs and keep people productive. It provides advanced diagnos - tic tools that can restore unbootable PCs, clean com...

120 121 Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V), enables deployment and management of Microsoft virtual PC Windows desktops to address key enterprise scenarios. Primarily, MED-V helps enterprises upgrade to the latest version of Windows even wh...

Windows 7 Hardware and Software Logo Program With millions of choices in PCs, software, and devices, it can sometimes be time-consuming to find high quality products that are easy to use. The Windows 7 logo program helps you make better purchase decisions by identifying products that have passed Mic...

Recommended System Requirements Microsoft recommends the following minimum system requirements to make sure you get all the benefits of Windows 7. Windows 7 System Requirements • 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor • 1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) / 2 GB RAM (64-bit) • 1...

How to Find More Information Although this guide provides a summary of the new and improved features in Windows 7, we realize that some of you might want to delve deeper into certain areas. A number of great resources are available to you to further your knowledge of these subjects. Resources for Ev...

126 127 Resources for IT Pros The Springboard Series on TechNet is the resource for Windows desktop IT professionals, offering dynamic content and monthly features about structured guidance and resources to ease your imple- mentation experience wherever you are in the Windows Client adoption and man...

Key Features Starter Home Premium Professional Enterprise/Ultimate Windows Taskbar and Jump Lists 3 3 3 3 Windows Search 3 3 3 3 Join a homegroup 3 3 3 3 Windows Media Player ^ 3 3 3 3 Backup and Restore 3 3 3 3 Enhanced media playback ^ 3 3 3 3 Action Center 3 3 3 3 Device Stage™ 3 3 3 3 Home media...

130 131 Appendix The following table compares features of Windows 7 with those in Windows Vista with SP1 and Windows XP with SP3. Appendix B Feature Comparison Chart Benefit Feature Windows XP SP3 Windows Vista SP1 Windows 7 Windows 7 for You: Simplifies Everyday Tasks Get Started Quickly Windows Ea...

Benefit Feature Windows XP SP3 Windows Vista SP1 Windows 7 Speed, Reliability, and Responsivenes Wake on Wireless LAN no no yes Smart Network Power no no yes Power Efficiency Diagnostics no no yes More Secure User Account Control no yes improved Parental Controls no yes yes Windows Filtering Platfor...

132 133 Appendix Benefit Feature Windows XP SP3 Windows Vista SP1 Windows 7 Access Information from Anywhere RemoteApp and Desktop Connections yes yes improved Folder Redirection and Offline Files yes yes improved Roaming User Profiles yes yes improved BranchCache no no new Transparent Caching no no...

Appendix C New Keyboard Shortcuts Windows Taskbar + T Brings focus to the fi rst item in the taskbar. Press again to cycle through each item. + 1–9 If a program in the 1–9 slot is running, the keystroke will launch it. If it is running with one window, the same keystroke will switch to that window. ...

134 135 Appendix Upgrade Custom Upgrade Upgrade Custom Custom Upgrade Custom Custom Windows XP/Windows Vista ® Starter/32-bit to 64-bit Custom Custom Installation A custom installation enables dual boot or gives the option to replace your exist- ing operating system with Windows 7. Your programs, se...

Index 64-Bit 9, 16, 54, 80, 122, 123, 124 64-bit Gaming 80 Accelerators 9, 39, 112 Access Information from Anywhere 95, 132 Accessibility 87, 126, 133, 134 Action Center 66, 67, 128, 132 Adaptive Display Brightness 52, 131 Additional Resources 126 Aero Background 62, 63, 129, 132 Aero Themes 20, 62,...